what to do if you are being harassed

Reporting Sexual Assault, Rape and Sexual Harassment to the Title IX Officer

UCSC has one policy, the Sex Offense Policy, and two procedures, one dealing with sexual assault and one with sexual harassment which have been joined under the heading of campus Sex Offense Policy in order to facilitate the dissemination of information and the reporting and investigation of incidents of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. The policy and procedures apply to all students, staff, and academic appointees, and to members of the off-campus community who are participating in a University sponsored program or event.

Sexual assault, rape, and sexual harassment are violations of state and federal laws, UCSC policy, the Student Code of Conduct, personnel policies for staff members and academic appointees. Any person who is the target of a sex offense should consult with the Title IX/Sexual Harassment Officer (SHO) (459-2462 or rew@ucsc.edu) to receive information about your options and to receive referrals to appropriate resources.

If you have been the target of a sexual assault, including rape, you may request an administrative investigation by the Title IX/SHO (459-2462, 29 Kerr Hall), with or without filing a police report as explained above. In addition to rape, as defined by California law, UCSC will not tolerate any non-consensual penetration, however slight, or non-consensual fellatio or cunnilingus, and the university will take appropriate administrative action when such are reported. A Title IX investigation is not a criminal procedure. The Title IX/SHO will not initiate an investigation without the written consent of the survivor. The Title IX/SHO treats all conversations with students, faculty, and staff with the highest level of confidentiality, and will always respect a survivor's request for anonymity.

The Title IX/SHO will complete a fact-finding report that will be submitted to the appropriate campus officials. Sanctions for the accused may be proposed. In proven cases of sexual assault and rape the sanction will be either suspension or dismissal from UCSC. In addition, the Title IX/SHO will ensure that appropriate actions are taken to aid the complainant, i.e. academic assistance, counseling referrals, housing assistance, permanent no contact restrictions for the accused, and protection from retaliation.

What about Sexual Harassment?

The only threshold a student must meet to receive assistance from the Title IX/SHO is if you are the target of uninvited or unwelcome or unsolicited or unwanted conduct which is being directed at you because of your sex (male or female). The following lists some behaviors which could be construed as sexual harassment.

• Sexual advances or requests for sexual favors.
• Physical, verbal, or nonverbal behavior that is sexual in nature or is hostile, demeaning. or intimidating.
• Terms of endearment.
• Sabotaging a person's work or academic standing.
• Withholding information.
• Exclusion from informal meetings/social events.
• Sexual jokes, comments, or innuendoes.
• Cartoons or visuals that ridicule or denigrate a person's gender.
• Employment or academic decisions that are based solely or partially on a person's sex.

The investigatory procedure for sexual harassment is the same procedure discussed in the above section on sexual assault. If you have questions or just want to inquire about sexual harassment or sex discrimination; if you want to make a report or file a complaint; if you want an educational seminar for any campus group or if you want information, advice, referrals, and/or copies of UCSC's Sex Offense Policy and Procedures for Reports of Sexual Assault(s) and Sexual Harassment or copies of the Sexual Harassment Annual Report please contact the Title IX/SHO.

 

For information on Investigation and Resolution of complaints made to the Title IX Office

See the "Sex Offense Policy Link on the homepage and see section "Procedures for Reporting Sexual Harassment"

 

What to do if you are the Target of Harassment

1. Talk to a person at your college, a co-worker, friends, a professor you trust, Counseling and Psychological Services, the Employee Assistance Program or the Title IX officer.

2. Keep a journal, record the nature of the harassment, date, time and place of the objectionable conduct. Also record your response to the conduct.

3. Know your boundaries and limits. Trust what you are feeling. Many people feel ashamed or humiliated as a result of the harassment. It is not your fault and you do not have to put up with it.

4. Take one step at a time. It's easy to feel overwhelmed.

5. Talk to the harasser. Clearly and firmly tell the harasser that you want the behavior to stop. If you can, tell the harasser how the behavior makes you feel. Let the harasser know that you will take further action if the harassment doesn't stop. Document your conversation and tell someone you work with or a close friend what you've done.

6. Write the harasser a letter and hand it to him/her in the presence of a witness. Give a factual account of the behavior that you object to; "last week you came into my room uninvited and started massaging my shoulders", then express your feelings, "I feel very uncomfortable with this behavior, it is affecting me." Then let the harasser know what you want to happen "I want you to stop."

7. If the harasser comes to you and wants to "talk about it" I recommend that you say "I'm not willing to discuss it, I just want the behavior to stop." Remember, the harasser's INTENT does not matter, it's the impact of the conduct on you that is what counts.

8. Information, advice, referrals, and/or copies of UCSC's Sex Offense Policy and Procedures for Reports of Sexual Assault(s) and Sexual Harassment are available to all students, faculty, and staff by contacting Rita E. Walker, Title IX/Sexual Harassment Officer, 29 Clark Kerr Hall, (831) 459-2462, or rew@ucsc.edu. You do not have to identify yourself or anyone else to receive the information you need to decide what YOU want to do.